


while you were gone

by Weirdowhotalkstoofast



Category: DCU, Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-28
Updated: 2017-01-28
Packaged: 2018-09-20 12:51:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9491669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Weirdowhotalkstoofast/pseuds/Weirdowhotalkstoofast
Summary: Everything comes to an end. Sometimes far too soon.Or, the third Blue Beetle is killed and the rest of the heroes pick up the pieces.(Because Khaji Da was not terminated with his host. Nor was he locked away.)And the Scarab is left alone for the first time in years. It is not pleasant. And it is not good.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Beta'd by Fire-fira. Thank you.  
> 

 

Jaime is 21 when he realizes Bart is going to be taller than him.

Well, he suspected it before. The signs were all there: big feet, the Flash’s height, how Bart shot up the moment his body had enough food to actually implement puberty and secondary sex characteristics. But theory and reality are different things.

Bart is the same height as him at 18 and is still growing like a weed. Bart crows at every centimeter he gains and wonders when he will surpass Jaime in height.

( _“Hey,” Bart says, rocking on his heels and stretching his neck next to Jaime’s head. “I’m tall as you now!”_

_Jaime twisted his mouth in skepticism, squinting. “No you’re- “he noticed Bart wasn’t tiptoeing “-huh. You are. Damn it.”_

_Bart grinned. “Think I’m going to pass you? I think you’d make a cute little spoon.”_

_[Estimation of the Bart Allen’s maximum adult height: 6”2. Estimation of out maximum adult height without augmentation: 5”11. The Bart Allen is likely to surpass us in height within two to three years.]_

_Jaime twisted his mouth. As if he would **ever** tell Bart that._

_“You’ll always be a midget,” Jaime tells Bart. “All you eat is junk food and take out.”_

_Bart stuck out his tongue in dramatized offense._ )

Jaime is 21 and Bart flirts with him like there’s no tomorrow.

Bart uses cheesy pick-up lines that make everyone cringe and laugh, gives him seashells and keychains and food from all around the world, dropping the day’s offering in front of Jaime with an excited and expectant expression.

_Do you like it?_

_Of course I do._

( _It’s wonderful **.**_ )

Jaime is 21 and in love.

Bart rests his head on his shoulder when they watch movies together, holds his hand every time he gets a chance, and pecks his cheek everyday as a greeting.

_Gorgeous as ever, Blue. I bet there’s no one as cute as you in the world._

_You should look in a mirror, bonito._

(Jaime doesn’t push Bart away when he kisses him.)

Jaime is 21 and Khaji Da has become his life partner. Bart doesn’t mind it one bit (anymore).

Jaime knows because Bart winks at him when he says “hey there, buggy," and pets the Scarab through his shirt during back massages. He tells Jaime how cute he looks in the armor. Greets and compliments them both like the package they are.

_Love what you’re wearing, Blue._

_You talking to me or Khaji?_

_Both, though Khaji has the better outfit._

_Which is?_

_You, of course._

Khaji Da hums at that, pokes Jaime with a tendril.

_[_ _Well?]_

Jaime huffs and says thank you.

Jaime is 21 and tells Khaji Da how proud he is of him and that he’s glad they met.

“ _Thank you so much for being here.” A pause. “With me.”_

Khaji Da went quiet at that, then gently nudged Jaime a warm wave of gratitude and content.

 _[Likewise, Jaime Reyes],_ Khaji Da had replied. _[The sentiment is appreciated...and returned.]_

(Jaime smiled from ear to ear.)

( _Never alone-)_

Jaime is 21 and the feeling of another being swallowing him up in armor comforts and strengthens him instead of unnerving him. He asks Khaji Da to explain theoretical and quantum physics to him because, even though at least thirty percent will fly over his head (because Khaji Da says what sounds like garble sometimes and Jaime has no idea what that even _means-_ ), he likes learning as much as he can. And he likes hearing Khaji Da’s voice. Khaji Da’s voice reminds him of that summer when the cicadas emerged and the buzz of a thousand songs filled his ears every time he went outside. Khaji Da found the cicadas strangely endearing.

(Jaime feels the same way about Khaji Da.)

( _You’re wonderful_.)

Jaime is 21 and has saved the world two, maybe three, times. He’s working on his degree to start going into medicine. He’s been looking into dentistry lately. It was good money with good hours. Classes were about to start again and he’s looking forward to completing the Med program at his university.

Jaime is 21 and is Blue Beetle with his partner, Khaji Da. He knows how broken bones and being electrocuted with 120,000 volts feel like. He’s saved hundreds, thousands of people and helped more. He doesn’t regret picking up that small blue scarab in a parking lot. He doesn’t regret meeting Khaji Da and accepting that his life would never be what the average person would call ‘normal.’

Jaime is 21 and he is in love with a speedster and the alien bug in his spine. Bart sleeps on top of his chest at night and Khaji Da quietly hums away at the base of his skull. Bart tells Jaime he loves him every morning and Khaji Da carries out maintenance and diagnostics, occasionally snipping and muttering at him, always keeping watch and protecting.

Jaime is 21 and full of potential and light and love and warmth. He is in love and a hero and a college student and absolutely _alive_ -

Jaime is 21 when his spine is broken, his heart is split in two, and Khaji Da is ripped out of his corpse with all the finesse of a butcher hacking apart an animal carcass.

Jaime doesn’t turn 22 the following year.

 

 

An account of the events leading up to the death of the third Blue Beetle:

“Have you ever wondered what would happen if we had the scarab in our possession? What we could do with such a piece of tech?”

“We have plenty of firepower and alien weaponry. You know Blue Beetle is not easily defeated. It would be a waste of many resources if we did not succeed.”

“True, friend. But if we did acquire it, it would be one less advantage for the Justice League and one more advantage for us.”

“Hm. How do you propose we acquire and control the Scarab then? Mind control? Magic?”

“I recall we have an anti-Reach virus to disable and destroy Reach tech.”

“We’ll use that as a last resort. And should we not keep the current host for infiltrate the Justice League? Psimon could implant subconscious instructions. Or perhaps biotech manipulation is needed...”

“I think we should start from scratch. The Reach could not control that boy. And you know the other heroes will discover his compromised mind eventually. We cannot let him lead a path to us. Not again.”

“Hm. Have Abra call Klarion from his tower. I’ll gather a few favors. And…tell Ra’s to send us his best men. The strongest and the most loyal.”

“No clones?”

“No. No more Superboys.”

“Very well. I’ll fill out the paperwork.”

 

 

Blue Beetle is captured on a raid on LexCorp, a recon mission for biological and alien weapons, a simple routine break in, steal weapons and vital intel, then sneak out.

His squad doesn't notice because they split up and the building is big, mazelike. The building’s walls are thick and soundproof. As they trade notes and findings, they realize the building is simply empty and nothing valuable is here, nothing but fancy boxes and meaningless papers.

A brief scan and oh look, there was a flare of boom tube activity a few minutes ago, underground, right around Blue Beetle’s assigned area.

 _Hey_ , Wondergirl asks, a little nervous. _When was the last time Blue reported in?_

A too long silence stretches between the squad.

 _Oh no_ , Red Robin realizes (too late), _oh nonono this was a set up Blue where are you report report report please where are you-_

The comm link was full of static.

(Snatched by a boom and flash of light, too bright and painful. Red fire had curled around them and squeezed until their world went black. Unconscious as they drag him somewhere underground, far away from the sun and the surface. Strapped down and muzzled and _do not let him move a single inch._

He couldn’t move.

He couldn’t move.

_He couldn’t move.)_

 

 

 

( _Dios por favor ayudame I’m sorry-_ )

( **Jaime Reyes-** )

 

 

 

Separating a host and scarab, forcefully, unwillingly, is not an easy (or painless) thing to do. But the Light has an assortment of specialists.

(Magic and Apokoliptan tech. A dreadful combination.)

Burn and peel off the armor until enough skin is exposed to jam a knife in the heart. Or the head. Or really just damage the body more than what the scarab could repair. The point was to make the host inviable and unable to be resuscitated. To make the scarab let go and fall off.

Or, at least, damage the host to make the scarab into shrinking back down so it can be ripped out with minimal fuss.

(Khaji Da did not let go.)

The retreat was automatic; combative and defensive systems were shut down to focus energy on healing severely damaged and failing biological systems. Khaji Da was trying to salvage the split open heart, keep the brain from rotting and save his partner-friend _Jaime Reyes answer me do not leave me Jaime_ _please_ -

( _Khaji Da_ _did_ _not_ _let_ _go_.)

It was at that moment they chose to cut into the spine.

 

(Something to note:

Jaime's heart wouldn't have stopped beating if it was given half the chance, given a single inch of leeway, would have beat, fluttered, stumbled on if he was given a centimeter of breathing room, just a moment of mercy please please _please_ -

But, of course, the Light is merciless, ruthless, and not even the most willful heart can beat if it's been cut in half.)

 

 

 

 **( _Please_** -)

 

 

 

 “-annnd I got it. Just gotta wipe the blood off and-”

“Let me see. Ah, perfect. Intact. Put it in there. Thank you. Alright, we’re done here. You, send it off. And quickly. They’ve been getting antsy.”

“Can we scan it before we send it off? I’d really love to see how this beauty works.”

“We’ll have time to experiment more once the Light sticks it in some psycho assassin. They promised us a firsthand look. I suggest you work on your bedside manner.”

“Like yours is any better.”

“I will stab you with this pen. And can someone take the body to the incinerator? I don’t want a repeat of Cell A-11 where _someone_ left a rotting body in there for a week.”

“I wanted to see how human cells would react to various acids and molds-“

“Shut up and get rid of this.”

“Yessir.”

 

 

 

_[…]_

_[Online.]_

_[Alert: Damage to multiple systems.]_

_[Initiating scans of system damage.]_

_[Initiating self-repair cycle.]_

_[Query: Initiate hibernation/sleep mode? Y/N?]_

_[Query: Initiate hibernation/sleep mode? >> N]_

[ _Mission {Maintain/Protect Host}:…Unable to comply.]_

_[Query: Status of Host (Jaime Reyes)?]_

_[…Status of Host (Jaime Reyes): Deceased.]_

_[no]_

_[Termination of Host (Jaime Reyes) perpetuated by associates and members of the Light.]_

_[I failed.]_

_[…] ~~~~_

_[Query: Change Mission {Maintain/Protect Host (Jaime Reyes)} to...]_

_[…]_

_[Y/N?]_

_~~[Error: Jaime Reyes would not approve.]~~ _

_[Error: Violation of parameters.]_

_[Facts: Jaime Reyes was terminated. Neutralization of hostiles/threats ~~and retribution~~ is required.]_

_[Assessment: Parameters may be temporarily disregarded in order to complete {New} Mission.]_

_[Query: Change Mission {Maintain/Protect Host (Jaime Reyes) Y/N?]_

_[Query: Change Mission >>Y]_

_[Mission Error: Unable to complete without Host.]_

_[Outside scanning systems activated.]_

_[Target: Viable Host.]_

 

They have three of Ra's best assassins fight. The victor will receive the honor of bearing the Scarab to serve the Light and lead humanity into a new, better world.

( _What if the victor decides to use the Scarab against the Light?_

_I train my assassins from near birth. They know nothing but loyalty to the League of Shadows._

_Loyalties can change, Ra’s._

_Hm. Isn’t the Scarab vulnerable to magic? Have Klarion kill the defector and we’ll try again._

_Let us hope we do not have to. I’d hate to damage such a valuable weapon.)_

The fight is vicious. All of them want to please the Great One. All of them want to be the one to help the Great One make a whole new world. A _better_ world. They want to be by his side and praised and venerated and beloved.

In the end of a vicious fight, there stands one with a sword and shield in hand and two barely breathing bodies at her feet. Shoulders drawn back, spine erect, and head held high. Certain of her victory. Certain of her strength.

The victor - a tall, dark-skinned woman with black buzzcut hair, a weapon since age three- walks forward and drops to one knee, bows down before the Great One.

She is soaked in blood, serpentine muscles bunching to stem bleeding wounds. Her short hair smells of iron. Her spine is bent only to the Great One. She does not look up as she speaks.

"Great One," she breathes. "Am I worthy?"

"Yes, my strongest," Ra's al Ghul says. "You will become my most powerful soldier, and serve the Light."

A small blue scarab, just over the size of a curled hand, is placed on the victor's bare back. Immediately, it clamps down on her spine and the victor is covered in armor within seconds. She doesn’t even scream.

(She never stood a chance.)

The armored being rises. Its spine is unbent, unbroken. Its shoulders are drawn up and back. Its golden eyes rove around the room, scanning and evaluating. It flexes its fingers and exhales slowly.

It looks every bit the soldier it is.

"Are you," a shadowed panel asks, "in control of yourself?"

A pause. Then, "Yes." The armored being closes its eyes, rolls its shoulders as it continues, "I am in total control of the armor." It opens its golden eyes, piercing everyone in the room with a cold calculating stare.

"Then," Ra's al Ghul says, hand extended, palm up. "Would you mind giving us a demonstration?"

The armored being focused its eyes on Ra's, bringing up an arm and forming a plasma cannon. Murmurs stir among the gathered audience of fellow assassins and spectators. There is a collective shuffle back.

"Not at all,” the Infiltrator says.

Ra's last look is one of sickening realization.

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are appreciated. You can find me at babblingweirdnonsense.tumblr.com. Please scream at me.  
> Edit (as of 6/19/18): This is a single chapter work, compared to previous status "Maybeeeee I'll finish this one day?" Any possible plans I previously had for this is pretty much canceled due to overall loss of muse and inspiration, and the fact that I don't want to keep promising something I know I probably won't finish. Sorry. I hope you enjoyed this nonetheless. Thank you.


End file.
